Tour Day 1 - Finally our Rick Steves Tour is Here!
With Amsterdam’s Sunday morning church bells echoing in our ears,
we headed by train to the lovely city of Haarlem anticipating the beginning of
our 21 day tour. There was an air of excitement in the city as the Netherlands
were to play Mexico in hopes of advancing a little further toward the ultimate
prize of winning the World Cup Soccer title! A few hours to kill, after our
lunch on the lovely town square we wandered around the quaint little streets
and discovered that Old World Charm that we were longing to discover. A town square market, glistening boat filled
canals and cozy corners with rustic benches surrounded by windowsills
overflowing with colourful flowers were a few of the discoveries.
Then, the time finally arrived! The beginning of our tour! Decked out in our Canada shirts and of course our orange “Huppa Holland” caps and a few butterflies in our stomachs as well, we entered the meeting place for the beginning of our tour at our hotel. Quickly Keith, our guide introduced himself, and made us feel so welcome and included right away. After all the introductions, we knew that these people were not going to simply be tour members to us, but friends. Our first dinner together did not disappoint. A multi coursed relaxing Indonesian scrumptious meal gave us ample opportunity to get to know the tour members at our table. Exiting the restaurant we were greeted by the eruption of cheers from every restaurant, bar, café and of course….”coffee shop” throughout the town announcing Holland’s win. This was quickly followed by the sudden break-out of street parties throughout the town! Huppa Holland!! A Keith organized walking tour (with our local guide Jody) around the town was insightful, helped us get our bearings and gave us some history of this lovely town. Jody also explained to us what it is like to live in the Netherlands and their system of healthcare etc. It was interesting to learn that cobble stone picture inlays on store doorsteps indicated the type of business within. Now that is Old World!
Then, the time finally arrived! The beginning of our tour! Decked out in our Canada shirts and of course our orange “Huppa Holland” caps and a few butterflies in our stomachs as well, we entered the meeting place for the beginning of our tour at our hotel. Quickly Keith, our guide introduced himself, and made us feel so welcome and included right away. After all the introductions, we knew that these people were not going to simply be tour members to us, but friends. Our first dinner together did not disappoint. A multi coursed relaxing Indonesian scrumptious meal gave us ample opportunity to get to know the tour members at our table. Exiting the restaurant we were greeted by the eruption of cheers from every restaurant, bar, café and of course….”coffee shop” throughout the town announcing Holland’s win. This was quickly followed by the sudden break-out of street parties throughout the town! Huppa Holland!! A Keith organized walking tour (with our local guide Jody) around the town was insightful, helped us get our bearings and gave us some history of this lovely town. Jody also explained to us what it is like to live in the Netherlands and their system of healthcare etc. It was interesting to learn that cobble stone picture inlays on store doorsteps indicated the type of business within. Now that is Old World!
Haarlem Highlights
Haarlem - The Cuisine
Old World Charm of Haarlem
From our wanderings around Haarlem our top three charming picks are a quiet undiscovered cobblestone street, our hotel lobby filled with many different clocks, and a glistening canal at dusk.